I was strapped inside and couldn’t move. As I sat on the roller coaster with my teenage son, I wondered if this was a big mistake. How fast did this thing go? Did it really go upside down? Maybe I should get out and request the most recent inspection report. Before I could even finish my thought, we were off like a bolt of lightning—flashing, twisting, and flying through the air. Suddenly we came to a stop at the top of a hill. After a long pause, I had a sinking feeling that the ride was about to go to another level. The man behind me groaned, “Oh, no! Does this thing go backward?” I know a prophecy when I hear one, and sure enough, we were headed south at what felt like the speed of light.
We don’t always like the unpredictable or unexpected. We like to know what’s coming and even have a little control along the way. The problem with the need for control is that there can only be one captain of a ship. When it comes to following God’s will for our lives, it’s either our way or His. It can’t be both. To fully walk in God’s will, we must relinquish control and have faith in His perfect plan, even if it seems like a roller coaster ride.
In Andrew’s How to Find, Follow, and Fulfill God’s Will teaching, he shares this:
When we get to heaven and look back on our lives, I don’t think many of us will say, “I trusted God too much.” But many of us will say, “I played it too safe. I spent my time being occupied with too many things and not going for what God said.”
Whenever God calls us to do something, it is almost always out of our comfort zones. Obedience requires an element of courage. It demands faith—not in an outcome but in the One who gives perfect peace.
Andrew continues:
You commit yourself to God. You run up the white flag. Take all of the reservations off of the table. Just say, “Father, there is nothing that I’m holding back.” You’re not responsible for the consequences; you’re responsible to obey God. If you keep your mind stayed upon God through studying the Word and focusing on Him, you will have perfect peace. If you don’t have perfect peace, your mind’s not stayed upon God.
By the way, I survived the roller coaster and proceeded to ride it six more times. I even bought the T-shirt. It made me think— If I can trust the engineers who built the roller coaster, how much more can I trust a heavenly Father who created the earth and everything in it, including me?
Yes, He asks me to do things that I don’t feel qualified for and to go places I would never dream of going on my own. The good news is, His ways are perfect and His plans for me are for good and not for evil, to give me a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11).
I still have to keep myself from asking too many questions about the ride ahead, reminding myself that it’s the devil’s way of trying to break my focus. To follow God’s will and fulfill His purpose for my life, I must keep my mind stayed on Him. The ride can be unpredictable, but it’s also too exhilarating to miss!
Has this inspired you? Share a comment below.
